Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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In September, the sun blazed fiercely.
As summer drew to a close, the cicadas’ mournful chirping, a low murmur of farewell, echoed through the shady green trees, the heat still lingering.
Here the stadium was packed with people at Peking University’s opening ceremony.
While her roommate, Song Yiyi, held up her phone and complained, “The location of our department is awful. Even zooming in on the podium looks like looking at a mosaic. I’m speechless.”
“Our department’s location is indeed not good.”
Shu Mian squinted slightly from the sunlight, her usual gentle voice carrying a soothing tone, “Fortunately, the electronic screen is still quite clear.”
Song Yiyi leaned on her shoulder, “I wanted to take some cool photos when Tan Xuzhe spoke. Taking pictures of an electronic screen can’t compare to taking pictures of the real person.”
Tan Xuzhe.
Shu Mian’s fingertips curled slightly, her heart pounding involuntarily as if pulled by a thread.
These three ordinary words, however, formed his name and became a special synonym, lingering in her heart for countless moments.
“Fortunately, after the ceremony, I can go to the confession wall and forum to pick up photos of Tan Xuzhe taken by others.”
Song Yiyi continued, “The school’s official WeChat account will probably post photos of him speaking, right? After all, the previous post showcasing the military training spirit had a record number of views because it included his photo.”
Suppressing her surging emotions, Shu Mian smiled and agreed, “Of course.”
This person remained incredibly popular in college, easily becoming the center of attention.
During the two weeks of military training after the start of the semester, he was approached by people almost every day on the confession wall, and topics about him on the forum always sparked heated discussions.
Last week, the school’s official WeChat account published an article showcasing the freshmen’s military training. Among the boys in uniform military training uniforms, he stood out the most.
Fang Yao, another of her roommates sitting in front, turned around and said, “Don’t panic, I have the equipment.”
She was a professional fangirl; she suddenly pulled a mobile phone telescope out of her bag and affixed it to the camera.
The principal, who was speaking on the stage, suddenly appeared clearly in the camera’s view.
“How is it? Not bad, right?”
Song Yiyi leaned closer and said, “Sure, take lots of handsome photos of Tan Xuzhe later.”
“Wow, so clear! They’re giving away sachets[1]!” Shu Mian gave a thumbs up.
Her two roommates were amused by her words.
Suddenly, a huge scream and applause erupted from the surroundings; Tan Xuzhe was about to speak.
“Wow, this is even more impressive than the obscure idol I recently started following.”
Fang Yao held up her phone and sighed.
Tan Xuzhe’s well-defined face still looked stunning from every angle even in the phone’s original camera.
His skin was very fair, and his features were exceptionally beautiful, especially his long, narrow, almond-shaped eyes with upturned corners, which were deep and seemed full of affection.
Today he wore a white shirt, looking refined and handsome, like a noble young master from a prominent family.
The enthusiastic screams continued unabated. He had an innate sense of nonchalant control, and when he raised his hand to make a “pause” gesture, the cheers from the audience instantly subsided by more than half.
Song Yiyi exclaimed, “As expected, handsome people look handsome no matter what they do. Even when he makes a pause gesture, he looks so handsome. Amazing.”
Shu Mian agreed. Back in high school, she felt that some boys’ behavior was very childish, but when it came to Tan Xuzhe, he always had a kind of unrestrained and handsome charm. Even his arrogance had just the right amount of youthful energy.
“Hello everyone, I am Tan Xuzhe, the freshman representative of the School of Computer Science.”
The tone was not enthusiastic, but rather low and languid, yet it still caused a stir among the audience.
Shu Mian stared intently at the person in the camera, not even daring to blink.
Hidden in the crowd, there was no need to worry about being exposed; she could openly observe him.
He was so dazzling.
“Mian Mian, his Adam’s apple is so big.”
Song Yiyi nudged her arm, her hand barely covering her lips, “I heard that men with large Adam’s apples have very strong sexual function and are very capable.”
Shu Mian had just taken a sip of water when she heard this and choked, coughing violently until her fair cheeks turned red.
Fang Yao glanced back and said, “Song Yiyi, are you trying to corrupt Mian Mian? Don’t lead her astray.”
“…”
….
After the ceremony, Shu Mian and her roommate had lunch at the nearby cafeteria.
The clubs were recruiting new members, and recruitment booths were set up on both sides of the road. The group of people had received a stack of flyers.
Fang Yao flipped through the flyers, “Which club should I join?”
“Of course, it’s the club with the most handsome guys,” Song Yiyi said.
“Don’t you have a crush? Why do you still love looking at handsome guys so much?”
“A crush is a crush. I’m at the age where I’m just starting to fall in love, and I’m young, promising, and not insecure, so of course I love looking at a bunch of handsome guys.”
“Hehe, among all these different kinds of people, you are the horniest one.”
As her roommates bickered, Shu Mian listened with a smile that made her eyes crinkle and a pair of dimples appear on her cheeks.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, her gaze turned to a certain spot.
Tan Xuzhe leaned casually against a locust tree, his thin white shirt outlining his broad shoulders and slender waist. Two of his buttons were casually undone, revealing a glimpse of his collarbone, giving him a relaxed and roguish charm.
He was listening to the girl next to him with his eyes half-closed and a tired expression. The girl was holding a thick stack of recruitment flyers and was obviously a senior from some club.
“Mian Mian, what are you looking at?”
Song Yiyi looked over and immediately exclaimed excitedly, “Isn’t that Tan Xuzhe? Let’s go get his WeChat!”
She grabbed her two roommates’ hands and took a few steps closer.
But the WeChat plan collapsed halfway through —
The senior student in front of them reached out and smoothed her hair. “Junior, it’s okay if you don’t join our club, but how about we start dating?”
Shu Mian’s breath hitched, and she instinctively stopped in her tracks. Her roommate, understanding the situation, also refrained from going any further.
“No discussion.”
Hearing the boy’s two very calm words, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But the senior tilted her head and said, “You think it’s too fast? It’s okay, we can chat first.”
She smiled, her red lips curving upwards, and reached out to touch his chest with her fingers. “Give me your WeChat.”
Tan Xuzhe avoided her hand, lazily lifting his eyelids, a half-smile playing on his lips, “What would I use if I gave it to you?”
“…”
The senior student walked away speechlessly.
It was a little unethical, but Shu Mian still couldn’t help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.
She then realized that now she couldn’t mention getting Xuzhe’s WeChat either…
The upturn in the corner of her mouth instantly disappeared.
Fang Yao: “Should we still ask for his WeChat?”
Song Yiyi shook her head like a rattle-drum, “No, no!”
Shu Mian quietly changed the subject, “This is the press corps, should we sign up?”
“Go ahead and sign up. It’s best to join two clubs, one related to your major and the other one you’re interested in.”
Apart from Xiang Sang, who had gone out for a part-time job interview today, the other three girls in dormitory 303 were all from the School of Journalism and Communication, and their majors were all somewhat related to the journalism club.
The three students thus took turns filling out the registration form under the guidance of their senior.
After Shu Mian finished filling out the form, she peeked over and saw that Tan Xuzhe was still there, listlessly scrolling through his phone.
While a boy with burgundy hair walked over and handed him a can of iced cola.
He was Cheng Ji, his friend, and also the ex-boyfriend of Shu Mian’s good friend Shen Jiayue.
Tan Xuzhe held the Coca-Cola can, and with a flick of his fingertips, he pulled open the tab.
Even though her gaze was restrained enough, he seemed to notice and suddenly looked up at her.
His face suddenly came into view.
The boy’s eyes were casual, with a hint of a shimmering smile at the corners, making him look languid and alluring.
Shu Mian quickly looked away, her eyelashes trembling as she lowered her head.
It’s so annoying. Just a brief eye contact, and my heart is pounding like the can of cola in his hand, bubbling and churning.
Her phone suddenly rang. Still feeling guilty, she answered but accidentally switched to speakerphone.
“Su Su, is military training over yet?”
Her maternal grandmother was hard of hearing, so she felt that others couldn’t hear her clearly either. She thus had a habit of raising her voice when she spoke, and with the hands-free mode on, her voice was so loud that several pairs of eyes immediately turned to look at her.
Shu Mian hurriedly turned off the speakerphone, just as her two roommates finished filling out the registration forms. She then walked away with them while talking on the phone.
“A Ze, why are you staring at that girl?”
Cheng Ji noticed that the people had left, but the person next to him was still following them with his eyes, which he found quite strange.
Tan Xuzhe stared at the girl in the white skirt, raising an eyebrow with interest. “Did you hear the person on the phone call her Su Su just now?”
“I think so. It’s strange, I feel like I’ve seen this girl somewhere before.”
Tan Xuzhe glanced at him casually, “Your ex-girlfriend’s friend.”
“Holy crap, it’s her! I almost didn’t recognize her because of her new hairstyle.”
Cheng Ji quickly realized something was wrong. “Wait a minute, my ex-girlfriend and I broke up over a year ago. How do you still remember her friend so clearly?”
“With your personality, you probably don’t even remember my ex-girlfriend, do you? What was my ex-girlfriend’s name?”
“I forgot.”
Cheng Ji now became interested. “What was that girl’s name?”
Tan Xuzhe narrowed his eyes slightly, “Shu Mian.”
“You actually remember the name of a girl you barely know, and she was not even in the same class!”
Let alone someone not in the same class, Cheng Ji doubted that this guy could even name three of the girls from his high school class.
Tan Xuzhe was too lazy to argue with him. “Have you found someone to walk my dog yet?”
“I’ve found one, but they still have to walk that dog at the exact time you want. It’s such a demanding thing.”
After Cheng Ji finished answering, he stared at him with a scrutinizing gaze. “Are you trying to change the subject? Not only do you remember her name, but you were also curious about what the person on the phone called her. Are you that interested in her?”
“Tsk tsk tsk, it’s not even spring, why do I feel like you’re in heat?”
Tan Xuzhe kicked him without hesitation, laughing and cursing, “Get lost.”
Cheng Ji clutched his backside and yelled, “Damn it, can’t you treat a 20-year-old person with some respect?!”
The author has something to say:
Reading Guide:
1. Both the male and female leads are pure in body and mind, and it’s their first love. It’s a short, sweet story of about 200,000 to 300,000 words. Please give it a five-star rating! (●’◡’●)
2. The female lead has a crush on the male lead in high school, and the male lead actively pursues her.
3. This story won’t get too long; it’ll kill me otherwise (T_T)
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[1] Because sachets are a booming commercial trend in China, brands routinely use giveaways to drive traffic, and netizens obsess over collecting and trading them. In this context, it means someone is bragging about scoring high-value, luxury freebie.
