"Fair competition!"
"Fair competition."
".........."
Under Liu Yutong's astonished gaze, several senior male students actually started playing rock-paper-scissors.
Before they could determine a winner, an upperclassman returning from the dormitory spotted Liu Yutong standing there, his eyes immediately lighting up.
He smoothly took the luggage from her hands.
"You're a freshman, right? Here to register? Let me take you."
Liu Yutong paused briefly, then nodded. "Thank you."
She followed the senior, heading toward the registration office.
The group still playing rock-paper-scissors finally declared a winner, only to look up and realize the freshman girl was already gone.
Turning around, they saw her walking away with Xie Zian, their eyes nearly popping out in fury.
"Xie, you damn dog! You’re such a beast!"
Sneaking in while we weren’t looking, huh? So despicable!
"We’re gonna drain him dry tonight!"
"Agreed!"
"........."
With Liu Yutong already gone with Xie Zian, it wouldn’t be appropriate to interfere now. They could only curse him for his underhanded tactics.
However, news of an exceptionally beautiful freshman—top-tier in looks, figure, and aura—quickly spread among the male students.
After registration, Liu Yutong headed straight to the dorm.
Along the way, she and Xie Zian chatted intermittently.
Xie Zian was a chatterbox, naturally sociable, and seemed capable of discussing any topic.
From campus rumors to off-campus happenings, there was nothing he didn’t know about.
"Listen, freshman, our school’s pretty decent since it’s a provincial key institution. But the vocational college next door? Total mess—lots of troublemakers there. If you go out shopping, especially at night, try not to go alone. You might get harassed."
"It’s happened before. Those guys barely have any classes in their first year, and by the second, they’re already out interning—most just loiter around the area. Plenty of our students have been bullied."
"Oh, and there’s that internet café street. Some tough guy’s been causing trouble lately—goes by ‘Sky Eye Brother.’ Likes shaking people down for protection money. Be careful if you go there."
".........."
Liu Yutong listened attentively. Though she didn’t take his warnings too seriously, she still thanked him politely.
At the girls’ dormitory entrance, Xie Zian reluctantly handed her luggage back, scratching his head sheepishly.
"Hey, uh… could I get your number?"
"Don’t get the wrong idea! I just mean, since you’re new here, if you ever need help, just call. I’m in Male Dorm 3, not far from here."
Liu Yutong didn’t refuse. She nodded, pulling out her phone to give him her number.
She wasn’t familiar with Bright Pearl University yet, and having someone to ask for directions or advice might come in handy.
After saying goodbye, Liu Yutong carried her luggage up to the third floor.
Watching her disappear into the dorm, Xie Zian stood there, a smug grin spreading across his face.
He pulled out his phone and sent a message to the dorm group chat:
"Brothers, today I helped out a drop-dead gorgeous freshman. Her looks are unreal."
Instantly, the chat exploded.
"Xie, you damn thief!"
"Treat us tonight, or don’t even think about coming back to the dorm."
"Agreed! No free meal, no entry!"
"......."
Xie Zian chuckled, typing again:
"No problem, my treat. Oh, and I got her number too."
The chat fell silent for a moment.
Then—
"New plan: not only is he treating us, but we’re also teaching him why chrysanthemums bloom red!"
"........."
Liu Yutong arrived at Room 302.
Luckily, she’d been assigned a four-person room instead of a six-person one—bunk beds with desks below, complete with both a fan and AC.
Two roommates were already inside, both freshmen like her.
One was shy-looking, barely over five feet tall, petite and adorable with an easy blush.
The other carried an air of aloofness, a faint arrogance making her seem hard to approach.
When Liu Yutong entered, both paused. The shorter, cuter girl stepped forward first.
"I’m Lin Lele, from XX Province. Nice to meet you! We’re roommates now!"
"I’m Liu Yutong, local." She smiled. It wasn’t a lie—Wushui County was under Bright Pearl City’s jurisdiction, making her a true local.
The colder girl approached next. "Hi, I’m Ling Yan."
But as she greeted Liu Yutong, her eyes held a trace of inexplicable hostility.
After quick introductions, Liu Yutong started unpacking.
Her two roommates had already settled in, busy at their desks.
By the time she finished, the last roommate still hadn’t arrived. She didn’t dwell on it—late arrivals weren’t unusual on the first day.
Once everything was organized, Liu Yutong bid her roommates goodbye and headed out.
She needed to buy daily essentials and scout the university district for a potential new supermarket location.
Though their family already ran supermarkets across three counties and a town, Bright Pearl City—as the central hub—needed a flagship store.
Liu Yutong also had another idea: opening a chain of their family’s restaurant, Fisherman’s Delight, beside each supermarket or within the same mall.
That way, whichever business drew more foot traffic would benefit the other.
After touring the area and buying supplies, Liu Yutong also purchased an electric scooter.
The school didn’t allow students to drive cars on campus, so most rode bicycles. Those with extra cash opted for e-bikes.
She skipped the bicycle—not out of laziness, but because even in September, the heat was unbearable. Who wanted to sweat when an e-bike was so much more comfortable?
After a quick registration, she parked the scooter near the dorm.
When she returned with her purchases, the final roommate had arrived.
But her appearance was so over-the-top that Liu Yutong froze.
Dressed like a punk, with eight ear piercings and a purple wig, she looked like a full-blown rebel.
This was Bright Pearl University, not the vocational college next door.
Girls dressed like this were quite rare at the university, even though Liu Yutong had heard from the senior who escorted her to the dorm that the male-to-female ratio on campus was roughly four to six—clearly favoring the latter.
After all, most students admitted to this provincial key university had excellent academic records, and very few embraced alternative subcultures.
Of course, there were exceptions.
The campus did have a handful of nonconformist "bad girls," mostly sophomores by now.
Among the freshmen, however, there seemed to be only one so far.
While Liu Yutong was still processing this, the purple-haired girl spotted her and immediately brightened, stepping forward eagerly. "You're so pretty! Let’s get to know each other. I’m Li Xiaohui—you can call me Huihui."
"Hello, I’m Liu Yutong," she replied.
Li Xiaohui was the outgoing type. "We’re dormmates now, so we’re practically sisters. If you ever run into trouble around the university district, just come to me. Hehe..."
