CH 2

Chapter 2 Lost 

Jian Chi used the key to open the dormitory with the number 407 hanging outside, and the room was empty. 

He put his luggage on the vacant bed and looked around the two-person dormitory where he was about to live for a year. 

It was spacious and bright, and everything was available. If he wanted to rent a similar room in Chuanlin, where land was really expensive, the rent would definitely be an astronomical figure. 

There were not many things in the travel bag. Jian Chi spent half an hour sorting things out, then sat on the bed and flipped through the student handbook and map. There were some official regulations in it, but in the end, he didn’t find the meaning of the brooch he cared about. 

The door was pushed open from the outside, and a thin boy with thick-bottomed glasses walked in, holding a stack of books in his arms. He was not surprised when he saw Jian Chi, he was obviously told in advance that his new roommate would be moving in today. 

He pushed the lens that slipped to his nose, “Hello, my name is Wei An, you are Jian Chi, right?” 

“Hello.” Jian Chi nodded to him and exposed a smile, making the mole under his left eye also rise at the end, adding a bit of warmth to this slightly ordinary face. 

The boy in front of him would be his future roommate. He wouldn’t be stingy on his friendliness since they were meeting for the first time, and the other party seemed to follow suit.

Wei An’s compact facial features relaxed a little, “Do you have a class this afternoon? Do you know how to get there?” 

Jian Chi raised the map in his hand, “I’m memorizing the route right now. I haven’t logged in to my student account to see the class schedule.” 

“Better take a quick look, being late here is not a trivial matter.” 

Jian Chi responded with a ‘thank you’. Fortunately, he was lucky. Today’s classes were all scheduled in the morning, and he had already missed an advanced math class because he was a newcomer. 

He logged into the student mailbox and there was an email from a teacher lying within. It was basically to welcome him coming to Saintston. The absence of class on the first day would not have an impact, and as long as he was on time for class thereafter, there would be no problem.

“If there is no class, you can stay in the dormitory or go to the library for self-study,” Wei An said. “I will be going to the library later to prepare for the math test next week.” 

Jian Chi noticed that the book he was holding in his hand had the words ‘Advanced Mathematics Expansion Questions’ printed on the cover. The same exercise book was lying in his bag, which was suitable for deepening the application of concept points in major problems. 

It seemed to be an important exam, Jian Chi thought. 

“I’ll take a rest in the dormitory first. I took the high-speed train to Chuanlin for five hours last night. It was another two-hour drive just now and my shoulders and legs are still numb.” 

Wei An showed a sympathetic expression, sat down and asked, “Where did you come from?” 

“Yuncheng,” Jian Chi replied, “a small city in the south.” 

“I know of it. I heard that it has Jiangnan characteristics.” The topic quickly drew close the distance between the two, and Wei An spoke about himself, “I’m from Jiangcheng, do you know Jiangcheng? We have all kinds of factories there. One in every ten pieces of clothing is made from Jiangcheng.” 

Jian Chi nodded and chatted with Wei An about their respective hometowns as a simple way of getting to know each other since they first met. 

A few minutes later, Wei An glanced at his watch and said that he was leaving first, then picked up the books on the table. Jian Chi’s gaze stayed on the white gem brooch on his chest for a moment, then asked, “I saw a senior wearing this kind of brooch just now, what does it mean? I flipped through the student handbook, and there was no explanation in it.” 

Wei An’s expression suddenly became very strange, his eyebrows were raised, and he appeared full of anger, but this sudden emotion was not aimed at Jian Chi. He pushed down his glasses, “It’s not a good thing. A group of upper-class swines use it as a tool for distinguishing between hierarchies. Remember to wear them when you are in class, it is part of the school uniform, otherwise you will be penalized by the student council.” 

‘Upper-class swine’ sounds like a self-created word, and Jian Chi, who had seen Han Fang’s superficial sense of superiority, quickly understood the meaning of this sentence. 

A trace of surprise crossed his heart, “Is the brooch used to divide classes?” 

Wei An’s face was not good, obviously he didn’t want to talk about it, but he still explained it to Jian Chi patiently: “The white is for our special recruits, the yellow is for the rich and well off, the red is for families with political backgrounds, and the purple is even up one level, either the family heir or with power. The black people at the top are not easy to meet in the school, they are all people who can’t be offended. If you see them, remember to take a detour.” 

These divisions sounded more complicated than a full three-page course selection and Jian Chi realized once again that Saintston was different and really stood out from the masses. Compared to the high school he attended, Saintston looked more like a small society, with mature and cruel institutions that were not recorded on the school’s official website. 

He couldn’t help remembering that he had searched for information about Saintston, and it was called the ‘cradle of elites’. It was at a stable top 10 for the admission rate for famous schools. Everyone praised the college system and that there was no lack of industry elites and authoritative professors. 

But it now appears that there was no difference between the schools and supermarket goods, both having the words ‘images for reference only’ printed in the corners. 

Fortunately, the exemption of tuition fees was not in the scope of reference, which was the primary reason why he chose here. Although selling the dry cleaner store is able to get a lot of money, if they wanted to gain a firm foothold in Chuanlin, the cost of living should not be underestimated. He doesn’t want to put too much pressure on Jian Chengchao.

At the time the decision to move to Chuanlin was made, not only was it out of missing his mother, but also out of Jian Chengchao’s guilt towards him all along. Jian Chi understood that because of his busy work these years, Jian Chengchao had neglected his care. However, this guilt drove Jian Chengchao to always want to take him to a bigger and better city to live a quality life in the traditional sense. 

Jian Chi didn’t actually blame his father, but he didn’t want to always see the apology in the other’s eyes. 

Moving to Chuanlin perhaps may really be the better choice. 

Jian Chi slept well that night, and the next morning, he walked around the huge campus with his textbooks.

Before going out, Wei An originally wanted to show him the way, but the navigation system that never missed before made Jian Chi choose not to trouble the other party. Yet, he did not think that the first mistake it would make would happen at this moment. 

He walked on the boulevard of the campus, passing through groups of students, some with their heads held high, and some with their heads down, walking fast. Most of the former wore ruby ​​and topaz brooches, while the latter were mostly white. He did not see the purple and black mentioned by Wei An, maybe there was some, but Jian Chi had no time to pay attention. 

The morning bell rang and the crowd around him gradually dwindled. Jian Chi had to admit that he was lost. 

He slowed down, stopped where he was, and prepared to return to the Academic Affairs Office after weighing it for a few seconds. At this moment, he heard someone calling him from behind and before he could think about it, Jian Chi turned around. 

“Are you lost?” 

The other party held a folder in his hand and his body was tall and straight. The same uniform worn on him was like a finely tailored couture, from the shoulders, waist, and to his slender legs, it was all just perfect. 

The dark hair complemented the complexion that was as white as jade. The handsome and extraordinary face had a gentle smile, as if it was a soft poetry of an autumn day merging into spring, the focus of Jian Chi’s eyes. 

“Yes,” Jian Chi couldn’t help but pause for a while before remembering to answer, “I want to go to the Smith building, but I can’t find the direction.” 

“The Smith building is not in this area. If you don’t mind, I can take you there, it’s along the way.” 

Jian Chi thought for a few seconds, “I’ll have to trouble you then.” 

He smiled slightly, and the corners of his mouth seemed to be naturally polished, showing the exact amount of kindness, “It doesn’t matter, you can call me Ji Huaisi.” 

“My name is Jian Chi.”

“Jian Chi, are you a transfer student?” Ji Huaisi kept a polite distance after approaching, and led Jian Chi into the corridor, “I saw your photo when I entered the new student’s information, so I stopped you just now. Saintston, like any other school, has managing the students as one of the responsibilities of the Student Union.” 

Jian Chi noticed the amethyst brooch on the other party’s chest, and the rows of glowing medals under the brooch, “Are you a member of the student council?” 

“I’m the vice president of the student union, you will often see me in school in the future,” Ji Huaisi looked into Jian Chi’s eyes when he spoke, with convincing calmness and concentration, “If you have any questions, you can ask me at any time. The Student Union office is on the north side of the Smith Building, you can see the logo when you look up.” 

These words reminded Jian Chi of his old high school student union. Most of the time, they helped teachers with trivial matters and organized various activities. Compared with management, they were a lot smaller in scale. 

Ji Huaisi in front of him had natural leadership, wrapped in layers of soft manners, making people unconsciously surrender their trust, including Jian Chi. 

“Arrived.” 

Ji Huaisi slowed down his pace. A smile appeared on his lips, and he lowered his voice secretly: “Mr. Smith doesn’t like late students, remember to explain the reason for your late arrival before entering. Although he is old-fashioned, he is very tolerant to polite people, not to mention this is your first day of class.” 

Jian Chi was not surprised that he would know the course and teacher he had chosen and felt a little warmth in his heart. If Ji Huaisi had not informed him in advance, he might have left a bad impression on the teacher on the first day of school. A similar low voice replied: “Thank you.” 

“You are welcome.” 

Ji Huaisi stood where he was and watched him go in. This etiquette made Jian Chi unable to help but sigh at the two extremes of the students in Saintston. He suddenly remembered something, stopped in place, turned around and said to Ji Huaisi, “Your brooch is very beautiful.” 

This sentence appeared in his heart the first time he saw Ji Huaisi. Unlike the other four colors, the purple one had a pure natural mystery and charm, and it was also Jian Chi Chi’s favorite color. 

This reminded him of the wisteria trees that used to be on both sides of the road to school. In summer, they would be covered with purple petals, a dreamlike beauty. 

Ji Huaisi’s expression seemed to pause for a moment, then he raised a smile that was less polite and more sincere. His expression was warm and his clear voice was like a spring breeze. 

“Thanks, you too.”