Ji Zhaoxi spent three days on the train.
She had originally planned to eat the dry rations she brought along, but seeing the boxed lunches on the train, she couldn't resist buying one.
She still preferred eating something hot.
After getting off at the train station, there were many freshman reception desks in the hall from various universities. As she walked forward, she saw a long banner.
"Shanghai International Studies University Welcomes New Students."
Several people who looked like students were sitting at a table. They dressed just like the people in the newspapers, very stylish and modern.
The girl sitting in the middle wore a watch and a school badge on her chest. She was patiently explaining something to the person in front of her.
Just as Ji Zhaoxi was hesitating, she made eye contact with someone. The person's eyes lit up, and he jogged over.
"Classmate, are you a freshman at Shanghai International Studies University?" The boy had slightly long hair, and a pair of aviator sunglasses hung from the second button of his shirt.
Ji Zhaoxi nodded.
The boy led Ji Zhaoxi toward the reception desk, introducing himself as they walked. "I'm also a freshman this year. Let's register first. The school bus will come to pick us up later."
He eagerly took the luggage from Ji Zhaoxi's hands, but the next second his face changed, and he was pulled straight to the ground by the weight. A senior girl nearby quickly helped him up.
Ji Zhaoxi was also startled by him and quickly took her luggage back.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
The boy patted the dust off his pants and managed a forced smile.
Why was this girl's luggage so heavy?
He pointed to the form on the table and smiled, "Just fill this out right here."
Ji Zhaoxi honestly filled it out as he instructed.
The senior students in front joked with him, "School has barely started, and you're already acting so chivalrous to the girls."
The boy tugged at his jacket. "Senior, 'acting chivalrous' sounds terrible. This is called being a gentleman."
He specifically glanced at Ji Zhaoxi to see her reaction to this, but she had none.
Her entire body and mind were currently very tense, completely oblivious to their little jokes.
After registering, the boy waited for the bus together with Ji Zhaoxi.
"Student Ji, where are you from? What work unit does your family belong to?" The boy was very curious about Ji Zhaoxi.
Work unit?
Ji Zhaoxi didn't know how to answer this question for a moment.
"Does this question... have to be answered?"
The boy was also stunned for a moment, then hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, it's fine if you don't want to answer."
It was only her first day in Shanghai, yet Ji Zhaoxi already felt a strong sense of maladjustment, accompanied by an inexplicable panic in her heart.
She hadn't expected this question to have a follow-up.
After arriving at the dormitory, there was only one spot left. The girls in the dorm glanced at Ji Zhaoxi but said nothing.
Ji Zhaoxi walked over to that spot and started unpacking.
The beds were bunk beds, with a total of six spots. Some of the roommates' parents were also there helping them unpack.
Hardly anyone spoke the entire afternoon. It wasn't until evening that they truly started communicating.
A girl near the balcony suddenly popped her head out from her bed curtains. "Hey, why don't we all introduce ourselves?"
The girl was wearing pajamas, her hair slightly curly. She smiled. "I'll go first then. My name is Qi Zhenzhen. I'm a local. Both my parents are teachers at Shanghai International Studies University, and I chose this school because of them."
The others also began to introduce themselves.
"Su Manzhen, local. My father is a professor at Peking University, and my mother is a doctor at Ruijin Hospital."
"Hello everyone, my name is Gao Lin. My parents are stationed abroad all year round, so I'm not entirely sure what their specific jobs are."
"Um... my name is Chen Weihong. My dad used to lead troops in the field army. Now he's retired and holds an honorary position in the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department. My mom is in the Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese."
"Hey, my family is a bit like yours..."
Ji Zhaoxi had been agonizing on the sidelines. She didn't know what her sister did for a living! Every time she asked, her sister would just say that kids shouldn't pry.
Listening to what the people in the dorm were saying, she suddenly doubted whether that admission letter was really hers. Could she really attend school here?
In the dorm, only Ji Zhaoxi and the girl in the bed opposite hers hadn't spoken yet.
The girl in the opposite bed had a flushed red face. She nervously gripped her blanket and looked at Ji Zhaoxi.
Ji Zhaoxi introduced herself dryly, "My name is Ji Zhaoxi."
The others were taken aback for a moment upon hearing such a short introduction from Ji Zhaoxi.
The girl in the opposite bed breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "My name is Lin Fang."
Qi Zhenzhen looked a bit surprised. "Both of your introductions are this short?"
Ji Zhaoxi nodded. "Yes."
Qi Zhenzhen choked on her words and said no more.
"Ji Zhaoxi, your name sounds quite nice," a girl lying in bed suddenly spoke up.
Ji Zhaoxi looked over. It was Su Manzhen. She had noticed her this afternoon; she dressed very fashionably and even had a pair of small leather shoes.
"Thank you. Your name is very nice too."
Su Manzhen smiled.
The first day ended just like that. Ji Zhaoxi was dead tired and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
She didn't know how long she had slept when she suddenly heard faint sobbing. She quietly parted her bed curtains and found that it was Lin Fang opposite her who was crying.
Ji Zhaoxi figured she was probably homesick.
She rolled over, and the crying from the opposite bed instantly stopped.
Ji Zhaoxi thought the first day had already given her a headache, but she didn't expect the second day to be even worse.
Perhaps due to the nature of their major, the classes here were actually taught entirely in English. Moreover, the teachers loved interacting with the students. Sitting in the audience, Ji Zhaoxi kept praying that her name wouldn't be called.
Su Manzhen was called on by the teacher. She was very calm, answering fluently with beautiful pronunciation.
It was only after arriving here that Ji Zhaoxi finally grasped the concept of pronunciation. Su Manzhen's sounded wonderful, and Gao Lin's pronunciation had a London accent, as the teacher pointed out.
Ji Zhaoxi felt that her own English carried a hint of her rural Xinniu Village accent.
Extremely rustic!
"Can you understand?" Ji Zhaoxi whispered to Lin Fang.
Lin Fang hadn't spoken either. Perhaps she was in the same boat?
Lin Fang looked at her in great surprise. "You can't understand?"
Her voice was a bit exaggerated. "These are all very simple sentences. Even a little kid could understand them, right? We're English majors, after all."
Ji Zhaoxi no longer just doubted whether her English was poor; now she outright suspected there was something wrong with her IQ.
Even a little kid could understand, so why couldn't she?
Because Lin Fang was too excited, the gazes of everyone around them turned their way.
Su Manzhen leaned on her desk and gave Ji Zhaoxi a mild glance. "If you can't understand, it's just because you haven't listened enough. Listen more in the future, and you'll understand."
Gao Lin also nodded. "And you need to read more and converse with others. You can't just do workbook exercises."
Lin Fang was still very agitated, her hands moving non-stop. She looked at her roommates nearby. "But this is just too exaggerated, right? Is there really someone with such a poor foundation? If she can't even understand this..."
Qi Zhenzhen clicked her tongue impatiently.
"Lin Fang, can you stop pretending? So what if she can't understand? A little kid could understand? Why don't you go grab a little kid who can understand and bring them here."
She had long been annoyed by Lin Fang. So what if she couldn't understand it? She couldn't understand it either, and there wasn't a listening comprehension section on the exam anyway.
Rebuked by Qi Zhenzhen like this, Lin Fang didn't dare to say another word.
Ji Zhaoxi had never felt so much pressure in her entire life.
