Chapter 14: 014

Chapter 14

It was the first day of university. That night, there would be a class meeting for all the new students to get to know each other and elect the first class committee.

Zhen Bao sat with her three roommates, Fan Xuan and Qian Lele on the left in the front row, and she and Jia Xiao Yu behind them. The class advisor suggested they introduce themselves in seating order.

About five minutes later, it was Zhen Bao's turn. She hadn't been in front of so many classmates in a long time. As soon as she stood up, her face turned red. When she got to the front, she looked so innocent and shy that half the boys in the class listened to her introduction very attentively, some even sneakily taking pictures with their phones.

After she finished, Zhen Bao hurried back to her seat to listen attentively to the other new students' introductions. Some of the boys would occasionally glance at her before quickly looking away. Zhen Bao didn't notice until a girl who had just gone up kept looking at her several times. Zhen Bao became curious.

She heard the girl, Feng Yue, say she was from City C.

There was someone from the same province in their class!

Zhen Bao's eyes lit up and she couldn't help but smile. Feng Yue on stage also smiled back at her, looking excited.

During the class committee election, encouraged by her three roommates, Zhen Bao signed up to be the academic affairs chairperson. She had heard it could give her extra points when being considered for scholarships. Her competitor was a boy with several pimples on his face. After one round of voting, Zhen Bao won by a huge margin.

After the meeting ended, Zhen Bao had just stepped out of the classroom when Feng Yue came looking for her.

"Ah, we went to the same high school. How come I never saw you before?" Feng Yue asked in surprise.

Remembering Fu Ming Shi's instructions, Zhen Bao said softly, "I took a year off after 10th grade, then transferred schools and lived with my aunt here."

Feng Yue was even more surprised. Looking at Zhen Bao, she explained, "Then we were in the same grade. I didn't test well enough for college last year so I had to repeat senior year. Which class were you in 10th grade?"

Zhen Bao told her the class, trying hard to remember her 10th grade life, but she couldn't recall anyone named Feng Yue at all. Feng Yue was from the city while Zhen Bao was rural. One commuted while the other boarded at school, and they were in separate classes upstairs and downstairs, so it was normal that Zhen Bao didn't remember her.

In any case, meeting a high school classmate in the capital made both Zhen Bao and Feng Yue very happy. They exchanged phone numbers, and Feng Yue happened to live in the dorm next to Zhen Bao's, so they agreed to hang out together often in the future.

After the enrollment ceremony was two weeks of military training!

Fu Ming Shi had prepared a set of fairly high-end skincare products for Zhen Bao. She didn't want to use them at first, but early in the morning, when Jia Xiao Yu and the other two came out of the bathroom busy putting on sunscreen and kindly reminded her to put some on too, Zhen Bao decided to "do as the Romans do" and took out all the skincare products from her closet.

The set Fan Xuan used was the most expensive. Zhen Bao's set didn't stand out much in comparison.

"Is Zhen Bao here?" Feng Yue suddenly knocked on the door.

Zhen Bao went to open the door while still applying sunscreen to her neck. Feng Yue smiled and greeted Fan Xuan's trio, then asked Zhen Bao, "Shall we go together later?"

"Sure!" Zhen Bao started applying sunscreen to her hands.

Feng Yue stared at the bottles and jars on her desk, recognizing it was a rather pricey brand she didn't dare buy yet. She looked again at Zhen Bao's phone, also the latest model from a luxury brand.

Feng Yue felt a little envious. Her parents were just ordinary office workers. Among her high school classmates, her family was considered well-off, but compared to these local students in the capital, she was at the bottom all of a sudden. She had thought Zhen Bao dressed quite ordinarily last night and didn't expect her family was so wealthy too.

When Zhen Bao paid with her card at breakfast, those in the lines on either side who could see her card balance were shocked speechless.

"How did you put so much in there?" Feng Yue moved next to Zhen Bao's ear and asked softly.

Remembering Fu Ming Shi's conversation with the card-charging auntie yesterday, Zhen Bao brazenly lied, "My aunt let me charge it all at once so it'd be less hassle later."

"Your aunt sure is rich," Feng Yue said enviously.

The screen showed it was a photo. Qian Lele suppressed her curiosity and politely returned the phone to Zhen Bao, but she and the other two still crowded around to see the photo possibly sent by Zhen Bao's handsome boyfriend. Worried that it might reveal something of Fu Ming Shi's villa, Zhen Bao looked carefully before daring to show them.

The photo was of a silly, cute black dog.

"That's...a mutt, right?" Qian Lele said, surprised.

"Your boyfriend sure has unique taste in pets," Jia Xiao Yu quickly added.

Zhen Bao couldn't help but explain, "That's my dog."

In unison, the three girls turned to her. "Why is your dog with him then?" They looked as if they had discovered some big secret.

Zhen Bao didn't understand their meaning, but improvised an excuse seriously, "My aunt is away on a business trip so he's helping to take care of it for a few days."

Jia Xiao Yu and the other two humphed, certain there was something more going on.

Zhen Bao hopped into bed and continued reading her book. As she read, she took out her phone to flip through the photos.

She missed Hei Dan after not seeing him for a few days.

~

On the fifth day of training, even Zhen Bao was starting to find it tiring. They barely made it through the morning session. Everyone lined up to march from the training site back to the dorm building where they had gathered that morning before dispersing.

On the way there, Jia Xiao Yu's phone vibrated. Seeing the caller ID, she lifted it to her ear in confusion. "You are...?"

"Zhen Bao's phone can't get through." Fu Ming Shi stood at the side of the main road leading to Zhen Bao's dorm building, his dark eyes sweeping over the passing groups of military training freshmen.

Just as Jia Xiao Yu was about to hand the phone to Zhen Bao, she suddenly noticed the tall, upright figure not far away and recognized him as Zhen Bao's boyfriend. Jia Xiao Yu smiled and said softly, "I see you. Zhen Bao's right in front of me. Let's see if you can find her."

After hanging up, she glanced back at Zhen Bao.

Jia Xiao Yu smiled mysteriously and gripped Zhen Bao's shoulders to make her face forward again. With all the girls wearing camo uniforms and caps covering their foreheads, leaving only a bit of their faces visible, it would be a real test of love if Zhen Bao's boyfriend could pick her out from the crowds.

Fu Ming Shi put down his phone and looked up at the freshmen marchers coming down the road, females in front and males behind. He moved to the stone steps at the side of the greenbelt to take advantage of his height and observe the girls on both sides one by one.

At 165cm, Zhen Bao wasn't very noticeable.

But two minutes later, Fu Ming Shi still recognized his fiancée.

The corners of his lips quirked up as he stepped down from the stone stairs and slowly walked toward her.

Zhen Bao, however, was looking in the direction of the cafeteria. She was hungry, but had to go back to the dorm first to get her meal card. She had left both her card, with its ample balance, and her expensive phone in the dorm, afraid of losing them or cracking the screen during training.

Lost in thought, she was suddenly poked from behind by Jia Xiao Yu.

Zhen Bao looked back halfway before her gaze landed on the figure ahead and froze.

Fu Ming Shi wore a tennis cap. The bright noon sun cast a halo of soft light around him. In the glow, the man's dark eyes looked straight at her. When she finally reached his side, Fu Ming Shi lifted his hand. In it was a thermal flask. "Salted water. Drink some first."

Zhen Bao instinctively moved to take it, but Jia Xiao Yu pushed her right out of the marching line.

Take what? If it were her, with such a handsome, romantic boyfriend, she would have already thrown herself into his arms!