Chapter 30: Freshman Enrollment Day

The next morning, warm sunlight quietly spilled across the campus.

As the alarm blared, Cao Guangyu, Zhou Chao, and Ren Ziqiang jolted upright from their blankets, springing out of bed like they'd been injected with adrenaline. They started washing their hair, shaving, styling, and changing into fresh clothes—dressing up as if they were heading to a blind date.

Today was the official freshman enrollment day. The whole class would gather in the classroom, and these three couldn't wait to strut their stuff, hoping to dazzle the girls in their class and make them fall head over heels.

At that moment, Jiang Qin hopped off his bed too.

Maybe because his soul was too mature, he didn't fuss much over his appearance. He just threw on a pair of brown shorts and a white shirt—simple as that.

"Let's go, brothers?"

"Let's go!"

Cao Guangyu answered enthusiastically, turning to leave. But the moment his eyes landed on Jiang Qin, they froze.

At 1.8 meters tall, Jiang Qin's casual, simple outfit made him look clean and sunny. He wasn't drop-dead handsome, but he had a comfortable, easy vibe.

Cao Guangyu felt a pang of frustration. He'd gotten up half an hour early to primp, yet he still couldn't outshine Jiang Qin's effortless style?

I'm a damn rich kid, decked out in brand-name gear from head to toe. How am I always playing second fiddle to him?

"Old Jiang, I really don't like you."

"?????"

After a moment, the four of them headed out together, making their way to the plaza in front of the teaching building.

Under the brilliant sunlight, the campus was full of pretty long legs and perky figures. Cao Guangyu and the others were practically howling with excitement.

But while these three were champs at bragging, they turned into total cowards when it came to action. They had the guts to gawk but not to step closer.

Jiang Qin glanced at them sideways, thinking, This is it?

Five girlfriends? Dumped his first love for studies? Two admirers he rejected until graduation? Even a ghost wouldn't buy that nonsense.

After registering at the Finance Academy, the four smoothly found the classroom for Finance Class 3.

Cao Guangyu might've claimed women were "boring," but the second he heard girls' voices in the classroom, his legs went weak, and he hesitated at the door.

"Old Jiang, you go in first."

"Why?"

"No reason—just go in already."

Jiang Qin saw through his tough-guy act and stepped inside without a word, instantly drawing the eyes of several girls.

Amid their hushed whispers, Cao Guangyu caught someone saying "handsome." His posture stiffened with pride, and he whipped out his new phone, pretending to check a message.

Zhou Chao and Ren Ziqiang weren't far behind.

They didn't dare glance at the girls, but walking straight ahead with their eyes fixed forward, they felt ridiculously cool—especially when they imagined girls were looking at them. It sent tingles down their spines.

Jiang Qin reached the back row by the window first and sat down, watching his three monkey-like roommates shuffle in. For some reason, he couldn't help but laugh.

No matter the era, college students always had such dramatic inner monologues.

"Hey, Old Cao, that phone's pretty slick. How much was it? Latest model, right?"

"Huh…?"

Cao Guangyu blinked at Jiang Qin's question but quickly caught on, his whole demeanor perking up. "Yeah, brand new. Over three thousand. My dad got it through an internal channel— hasn't even hit the domestic market yet."

Jiang Qin's eyes widened dramatically. "Three thousand bucks? Damn, that's almost tuition!"

"Pocket change. My dad runs a company—pays out hundreds of thousands in salaries every month."

As they talked, the girls in the class glanced over, then ducked their heads, giggling and whispering among themselves.

Jiang Qin patted Cao Guangyu's shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "See? Gave you a chance to flex this time, huh?"

Cao Guangyu was buzzing, replaying his moment of glory. "Old Jiang, you're a real bro. I'll help you flex next!"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Why not?"

Jiang Qin chuckled. "Even dogs don't bother with dating. But I've got a suggestion—hope you'll listen."

Ren Ziqiang and Zhou Chao, now seated, leaned in eagerly. "What suggestion?"

"If you're looking for a partner, don't pick someone from our class. Saves awkwardness later."

"Later? Pfft, we'll deal with the future when it comes," Cao Guangyu brushed it off.

"Who said anything about the future? I meant the verb."

"?????"

"Forget it. You can't even catch a hint that fast—you're probably hopeless at finding someone."

After saying this, Jiang Qin paused, remembering something. He got up and headed out, soon reaching Finance Class 4 next door.

Peering through the back door, his eyes locked onto Feng Nanshu, seated toward the right rear. She wasn't alone—four or five girls surrounded her, and they all had milk tea from the same shop in front of them.

Seeing this, Jiang Qin felt relieved. Just as he turned to leave, Feng Nanshu seemed to sense him and looked over.

She was still that cool, aloof—or maybe adorably clueless—self. Then, expressionless, she raised her right hand and made a peace sign by her left cheek.

Jiang Qin grinned and flashed her a peace sign back.

Feng Nanshu's nose wrinkled, as if unwilling to lose. She raised her other hand, making two peace signs.

"Nanshu, what are you doing?"

Gao Wenhui, sitting beside her, keenly noticed her gesture. She glanced at Feng Nanshu, then followed her gaze to Jiang Qin.

After a three-and-a-third-second pause, Gao Wenhui's eyes widened in shock, like she'd stumbled onto a juicy scandal. She slapped the girls around her.

"Look, quick! Feng Nanshu's boyfriend!"

"Where? Where's the boyfriend?!"

"Back there—at the classroom door!"

At that, the girls from Room 503 turned in unison, but Jiang Qin had already slipped back to his classroom, leaving them no chance to see.

Right as he stepped back in, the counselor for Finance Class 4 arrived too.

He looked about forty, wearing black-framed glasses and sporting a classic square face. He stepped up to the board and wrote his name—Lü Guangrong.

"I'm Lü Guangrong. You can call me Teacher Lü. Barring any surprises, I'll be with you all for the next four years."

Teacher Lü started with some warm, welcoming pleasantries, then ran through the university rules and military training precautions.

These were old hat—every freshman class got the same spiel—so he sped through it, no extra fluff.

After that, he handed the floor to the students, letting everyone take turns introducing themselves onstage.

During this, Jiang Qin was lost in thought about his website, barely listening.

He wasn't a computer science major. He had ideas but lacked the tech skills, so he planned to outsource the web development.

Luckily, this was a university—tons of people could build websites, and student freelancers were usually cheap, keeping costs low.

"That girl Jiang Tian's pretty cute. Long, fair legs."

"I think Song Qingqing's the prettiest."

"You don't know shit. Song Qingqing's obviously wearing makeup—barefaced, she's no match for Jiang Tian. Right, Old Ren?"

"I think Song Qingqing's better too."

"Ugh, you guys are into those flashy types? No taste!"