All four roommates had finally arrived at the dorm.
Afterward, everyone took turns reintroducing themselves.
Lin Lele, a girl from northern China, looked and sounded more like a southerner, lacking the typical boldness associated with northerners.
Ling Yan, from the neighboring H Province, didn’t share much about herself except briefly mentioning her goal—to pursue graduate studies.
Liu Yutong and Li Xiaohui were both locals of Bright Pearl City.
"So, you two are from here?" Lin Lele asked curiously. "Did you happen to go to the same high school?"
Liu Yutong turned to Li Xiaohui. "Xiaohui, where’s your family from? I’m from Wushui County."
"I grew up in the city, near No. 29 Lizhong Road, but we’ve moved since then," Li Xiaohui replied.
"I’ve always followed my dad around—wherever he went, I went to school there. Except for elementary school, I studied outside the city for middle and high school before coming back for university."
At the mention of "No. 29 Lizhong Road," a flicker of surprise passed through Liu Yutong’s eyes, though it went unnoticed by the others.
Lin Lele and Ling Yan, being from out of town, didn’t recognize the address, but Liu Yutong knew exactly what it meant—that was the residential compound for municipal government officials.
Li Xiaohui probably had no idea that casually mentioning that address had just revealed her privileged background.
"Following your dad around? Is he in business?" Lin Lele pressed.
"Not really. Anyway, it doesn’t matter! What matters is that I’m finally free!" Li Xiaohui beamed, like a little parrot finally escaping its cage.
"Since it’s our first time meeting, how about we all go out for dinner tonight?"
"I know the area around the university really well. We could go to the snack street east of campus or to the downtown Beilong Plaza—both are lively with tons of great food. I can take you guys."
No one objected. After all, it was their first meeting, and nobody wanted to be rude.
As they headed downstairs, Li Xiaohui suddenly asked, "How are we getting there? Oh, and did any of you buy bikes? It’s pretty inconvenient not having one on campus."
"I got one," Liu Yutong said, walking toward the parking area near the dorm. She returned riding a brand-new electric scooter.
Li Xiaohui circled it enviously. "Yutong, you bought an e-bike? How much was it?"
"Around three thousand. Mostly because riding a regular bike is too hot," Liu Yutong explained.
Li Xiaohui blinked, then teased, "I don’t think it’s about the heat. I bet you just didn’t want your skirt flying up while biking. Heh heh heh..."
Liu Yutong: "..."
She wasn’t exactly the short-skirt type.
Perhaps spurred by Liu Yutong’s purchase, Li Xiaohui suddenly declared, "I’m getting an e-bike too."
True to her impulsive nature, she immediately pulled out her phone to call her father—only to hang up the second the call connected.
"Never mind. A regular bike is fine. Good for exercise anyway."
With nearly twenty thousand students at the university, while many came from well-off families, most still couldn’t afford e-bikes at this time.
Though Li Xiaohui’s family was financially comfortable, she’d always been rebellious. Her parents, knowing her personality, deliberately kept her allowance tight to teach her some hardship and temper her impulsiveness.
Her current budget could easily cover a bicycle, but an e-bike would leave her broke for months.
More importantly, her father was strict—every call came with a lecture, and she was too intimidated to ask.
Lin Lele was in a similar boat, with a monthly allowance of about six hundred, also not enough for an e-bike.
Ling Yan, however, seemed well-off, judging by her stylish clothes.
They didn’t go far, just strolling through the university district’s snack street for dinner.
On their way back, Lin Lele suddenly whispered, "Hey, did you guys notice? Someone’s been following us for a while now."
One of them gasped loudly.
"Where? Who’s got the nerve? Show me!" The loud, dramatic reaction came from Li Xiaohui.
"Keep it down! Don’t let them hear!" Lin Lele tugged at Li Xiaohui’s sleeve, then discreetly pointed behind them. "That guy in the black hoodie."
The others turned to see a tall, cold-faced young man standing about five paces away.
"Uh—"
"Leave it to me. Let’s see who’s got the guts to pull this."
Before Liu Yutong could stop her, Li Xiaohui marched over with a scowl.
"Hey! Why are you following us?"
The young man looked taken aback. "I’m not following you."
"Liar! My roommate saw you tailing us since we left campus! You’re tall and decent-looking—why stoop to creeping on girls? Listen up, stay away from us, got it?"
Li Xiaohui was living up to her dorm promise—handling anything the others couldn’t.
The young man remained expressionless. "Sorry, didn’t catch that."
Furious, Li Xiaohui opened her mouth to retort, but Liu Yutong quickly stepped in. "Xiaohui, it’s a misunderstanding. He’s a friend of mine."
"Your friend?" Li Xiaohui’s eyes widened. "Seriously? Then why’s he been following us without saying anything?"
A thought suddenly struck her. "Ohhh, I get it! He’s got a crush on you, doesn’t he? So persistent, chasing you all the way to university!"
"But Yutong, be careful with guys like this. They’re the worst—clingy and obsessive, won’t quit until they get what they want!"
Liu Yutong: "..."
Yun Cheng: "..."
Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, the girls looked at Liu Yutong with new eyes.
They all agreed she was stunning—pretty enough to be a contender for campus queen.
But to have a pursuer show up on the very first day of school? At this rate, she might end up with an entire platoon trailing her.
It wasn’t impossible.
Back at the dorm, they received a notice: a class meeting the next morning at 10, likely to elect a class monitor.
Ling Yan, who had spoken the least all day, suddenly spoke up bluntly, "I want to run for class monitor. Hope you’ll vote for me."
The moment she said it, Lin Lele’s expression stiffened.
She had been eyeing the position too—she just hadn’t expected Ling Yan to bring it up first.
